Patrick Cushen, Ph.D.

Humans are amazing for their ability to adapt to complex situations. What is it about
our mental toolbox that, despite its limitations, allows us to tackle both familiar
and unfamiliar tasks on a daily basis?

In my research, I am interested in understanding how we effectively engage in problem
solving, reasoning, and decision making. I am particularly interested in how we solve
difficult problems in situations where the problem is either poorly understood or
wholly misunderstood. These are situations which are often thought to require “creative”
thinking.

I have investigated how performance in these situations is impacted by differences
in attention and memory. I have also studied how various types of prior experience
can impact problem solving. Recently, I have been investigating whether cognitive
abilities or styles can be trained to improve performance on complex tasks.

I welcome the opportunity to work with undergraduate and graduate students alike with
interests in psychology and cognition. I hope to help any students that are interested
to foster and pursue their ideas.